


From Dusk til Dawn

by Pandan



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn, Arslan Senki | Heroic Legend of Arslan
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Finding home, Fluff and Angst, Home, Romance, kinda angsty?, somewhat action
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2019-11-13 05:11:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18025331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandan/pseuds/Pandan
Summary: To many, Arslan - the Prince of Pars was dusk. A time forgot by many, draped into darkness - a time that all knew existed but did not appreciate. Yona - The Princess of Kouka was like dawn itself. A shining beacon of hope, resilience and a new day.In the time between dusk and dawn - where the moon shines and the sun soars, there exist the world that separates them.  And in this world, they find each other and they find peace.





	1. Introduction

It was long foretold in the Kingdom of Pars - the Legend of the Twilight Warrior, he who was doomed to walk the earth forever in search of his missing lover. He would never find her, she was taken by the Gods a long time ago - to a world where she would be worshipped and never have to face the fear of losing a precious lover. Yet still, he walks the land and slays anyone who gets in his way or dares to as the Bards may say. He walks the land during the peak of dusk when he can hear her song faintly in the fading sun. 

It was long foretold in the Kingdom of Kouka - the Legend of Maiden of Dawn, she sings and pleads for a lover to return home to her but does not know that he is long gone. Her beauty is eternal and she is worshipped by many - they fight valiantly for her heart but she never returns their advances, she waits for a kind lover to return from war. And still, she waits for him and sings in the hopes he hears her song and finds where he truly belongs. She sings for him at the peak of dawn when she can feel his warmth in the rising sun.

O' Warrior of Twilight  
The stars they shine bright, may you quickly return to her side.  
O' Warrior of Twilight,  
I pray tonight is the night, you hear her voice and find your way home again.  
When you see her, hug her and tell her you love her.   
Your heart will be whole again. 

Your family, whole again.  
You will be whole again.

O' Maiden of Dawn  
Sing for your lover, he'll hear you yearn and never be with another.   
O' Madien of Dawn  
Your patience will be rewarded, the gods' evil plot will be thwarted.  
He'll come home from this war.  
Your heart will be whole again. 

Your family, whole again.  
You will be whole again. 

 


	2. 새벽 (Saebyeog - Dawn)

_Her mind is broken.  
Her heart was stolen.   
_ _Yet her story is still unfolding._  
Her love is unwavering.  
It is in this, in faith, she finds a new day. 

"Yona?" 

She stood against the backdrop of the dawn sky - her hair, a brilliant red, contrasted the familiar hues of dawn. Yona was beautiful, eyes as purple as jewels and skin as clear as a summer's sky.

Hak looked at her figure - arrow drawn with her right hand, bow steady in her left. Her jewel-like eyes burned with fiery focus and from those soft lips, a deep breath released and formed a small cloud. The slender tips of her fingers that struggled to keep the arrow steady but she focused anyway.

 _Thud_.

The metal tips collided with the target - just off the centre. Her tense body released, shoulders no longer stiff but not quite sagging (Yona was a proper Princess after all) and a sigh escaped her pink lips. She turned to him and smiled.

"Good morning, Hak."

It was a simple greeting but from the Princess of Kouka, it felt like the sun had graced him with its warmth. The usually radiant Yona always seemed to shine best at dawn. When it seemed her spirit was filled with the most joy, her smile was as radiant as the dawn itself.

To Hak and many others, Yona was the dawn itself. Hope and a new day.

"Princess, 'orning. You're up early practising today, huh."

"I awoke very early and I felt focused so I opted to. Did I wake you, Hak?"

"Well, yeah - I couldn't sleep through the ugly bear attacking near our campsite. I heard it stomping and came to investigate."

It took Yona a solid minute to register Hak's joke and when she did, a small chuckle was all she could muster. That was enough for Hak, however, he had grown used to seeing the Princess of Kouka serious and calculating. Two years after her sixteenth birthday, Yona became much more different from the sweetheart of the palace that he used to know. This Yona was sharp, serious-minded and a true leader. 

While she remained kind and gentle, it was not the same. The innocent, wide-eyed seedling who left the palace walls had longed bloomed into a mature, focused flower. Her beauty as great as any could predict. Hak leaned against a tee as the Princess of Kouka fixed her bow to her back tied her hair into a neat ponytail. 

"Jae-Ha informed me that there is a village nearby celebrating a festival. Perhaps we should check it out? It's been a while since we had fun." 

"Fighting off assassins isn't fun, Hak?" Yona sneered, "I thought you would enjoy that more." 

Yona spoke of the assassins who attempted to steal her life sent by the Kai Kingdom - the bastards wished to see Soo Woon remain ruler of Kouka and saw Yona's attempts at gathering allies as a threat. The Dragon Warriors and himself protected the Princess valiantly, Shin-Ah was even injured in the process, yet it was a close call. Too close for comfort. 

Truly, Yona was skilled at many things. Conversating, political chatter and manipulation her forte but standing her ground on a battlefield still gave her some trouble. She was a good ranger but close combat was difficult with her size. 

"I enjoy assassination attempts as much as the next guy, Princess but not when they're against the woman I swore my life to. Then they're troublesome." 

"I appreciate the honesty. It will be a good rest for Shin-Ah and everyone else. You and Jae-Ha can go drinking and fool around with some women." 

"And if I refuse?" 

"I shall take that as treachery to the crown and have you beheaded when I am Queen." She said slyly as she walked past him, "Until then, let's go and have fun, okay?" 

A smile that could make many fall to their knees. That's the type of smile Yona gave Hak. Perhaps two years ago he would have been easily swayed by her unintended romantic attitude (Hak surely believes he was back then) but nowadays, he looks at Yona as a playful little sister than a love interest. Perhaps it was the way she made her lack of romantic interest in him official at the romance festival a year ago or the fact that he grew bored of waiting for her. 

Maybe even the fact that if you looked close enough, the woman who so closely resembles the sky at dawn, looked at those in love with bitter eyes and coldness. 

They arrived back at camp shortly and everyone already packed their belongings. Zeno shoved a bread roll in his mouth as Jae-Ha teased Kija (the latter of which responded in banter - having grown used to it by now) about his snoring last night. Yun cared for Shin-Ah's injured shoulder gently, his eyes gleaming with worry but his mouth spitting curses for the injured man's stupidity.  Shin-Ah responded to this by simply smiling, resting his head on the tree's bark. 

"If you do something as dumb as this again," Yun huffed, "I won't forgive you. You absolutely cannot die on me."

Shin-Ah raised his hand to cup the effeminate boy's cheek, "You look pretty in this light. I like it." 

A deep red lined Yun's cheeks and Hak watched on with a snort. Yona was watching too, Hak looked at her at that moment and saw the coldness filling her gorgeous eyes. The violet eyes that turned bitter when they witnessed love. The reason Hak no longer wished for her. 

"Everyone," Yona greeted with a smile, "I heard that there is a town nearby here having a festival. Let's use this time to rest and gather ourselves before we go to the Sky Tribe." 

Her words were met with positive responses and soon they hit the road. Banter and chatter filled them and for once, Hak did not mind it. He had grown used to this rag-tag team. A group of friends, who were on a grand adventure or something. Hak didn't remember how Jae-Ha described them once while he was drunk but he felt like it was the most accurate. He shed blood for this group, protecting his friends and the Princess of Kouka and they for him. 

He could count on them to save his arse if he was in trouble (and probably brag or tease him about it after) and that's what mattered most. 

"Jae-Ha, what do you recall about the festival?" Yona asked, her voice pulling Hak from his thoughts. 

"It's a festival to the Maiden of Dawn. This town worships her." Jae-Ha answered.

"The Maiden of what-now?" Yun asked, "Who is she and why do they worship her?"

"Did you grow up under a rock, kid? The Maiden of Dawn is one of Kouka's most famous folk-tales." sneered Jae-Ha, "Please tell me the rest of you know her." 

Kija shook his head as did Shin-Ah. Hak nodded as did Yona. 

"She's a beautiful maiden who was stolen from her lover and hidden away by the Gods. She believes her lover is her one and only thus ignores any suitors who come her way." Yona explained.

"You forgot the most important part, Yona. She sings. At dawn to be precise. Either in her tower or wandering the world, depends who tells the story and sings for her lover to come home to her or find her. She'll live for eternity waiting for him." Jae-Ha finished, "This town worships her as the mother of true love and holds the festival in her honour. It's a big deal for them. They say this festival will help lure her lover out and help her find him." 

"What a fascinating story, I hope she finds the man she's looking for." Kija answered.

"She's just spending eternity waiting on a man who's probably fallen for another. Love is useless." Yona mumbled under her breath, "You just get your heart broken in the end." 

Hak heard her mumbles but chose not to say anything to it. He weighed her words carefully in his heart but didn't speak on them. He wanted to ask her why she thought such horrible things, what could have happened to make her this indifferent, this cold but he chose to say nothing instead. Yona would crack eventually, someday, he just had to be there when she did. 

Perhaps then he could talk to her fully and understand her completely. Perhaps then Hak could give his shaky heart a complete rest. As they walked into the town, he felt a sense of unease. It washed over him like that time the waves crashed on his face when Kija pushed him into the sea. He shook his head to calm it but the feeling would not go away but instead became more prevalent. Clearer. Unease turned to danger, there was danger in this town and Hak did not know where it was coming from. 

He walked behind the group, who was already quite spaced out, making sure that every alley was clear and that no one suspicious had followed them but perhaps this was his mistake. Maybe this was the mistake that would cost him the world. 

_"Glory to the Dawn! Glory to Kouka! Glory to the new day!"_

A chant sang on repeat by the townspeople in the temple in the distance. A hooded figure ran towards Yona - at a speed, he couldn't quite match with his own. He reached for her but the figure reached her first and all Hak remembers is the bright light that consumed her. A brilliant white light that sharply contrasted Yona's beautiful red hair. 

When Hak came to, Yun and the dragon warriors lay unconscious on the ground before him as did the hooded figure. His eyes opened wide as he sat on his knees, staring blankly at the scene before him. 

She who shined most brilliantly at the cusp of dawn, the Princess of Kouka, Yona.

In the minutes between dawn and day, the Princess of Kouka vanished leaving not a single trace of her radiance behind. 

And to her most loyal servant...no, her childhood friend - this was terrifying. 


	3. 황혼 (Hwangho - Dusk)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (probably the weakest chapter we've ever written, sorry!)

_Where is his love, do you know?_   
_He mourns for her, he is empty without her song to make him whole._   
_At dusk he walks, willing to slaughter - anyone who dares interrupt the quest for his lover._   
_Thus, this lovelorn warrior will go mad._   
_Chasing after a woman, he never deserved to have._

**Screech, screech.**

"Hm? Oh, how well-timed Azrael, I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten me." 

The bird's large wings, decorated with grey feathers - stretched out as from its yellow beak, it screeched.  It landed on his hand and looked to him affectionately, the Prince of Pars stroked his chest feathers lovingly. 

His name was Arslan and he was the Prince of Pars. He had men willing to die for him, women ready to submit to him and a nation that belonged to him. Or so he was taught to believe.  Lately, he was wondering about himself, his future and why he was here. Was he truly the Prince of Pars? Did he deserve to sit on that throne? 

Or was he a pawn designed by the world?

"My Prince, may I come in?" Daryun's voice was recognisable from centuries away, it echoed loudly in the halls of his bedchamber and exuded confidence yet he was subservient.

"Of course, Daryun. What do you need of me?" Arslan asked as he sent the bird away - beyond the windows and into the fading azure sky, "It is not often you interrupt my night."

Arslan's beauty was whispered amongst the soldiers. His silver hair glimmered in the night and his skin, paler than snow. A haunting beauty that overlooked the battlefields of dead enemies, stained red by those he had slain. His ocean eyes could see into any plot against him yet they were filled with wisdom and guidance.  He was beautiful but a type of beauty you could not approach. 

You must simply look onto and admire him for he did not like attention. 

For the most part, their idle whispers were true. Arslan did not like attention but he didn't find himself beautiful.

"Farangis and Gieve will be returning shortly from their scouting expedition as you requested," Daryun said - looking at Arslan with eyes lit with worry, "Narsus was wondering if you wanted to be debriefed in the morning or if to wake you." 

"Wake me in the morning, I am tired now. Thank Lady Farangis and Gieve, I owe them much thanks for putting their lives in danger for me." 

The lives of his friends...was this all worth it? He was the rightful heir to the kingdom of Pars, right - all of this was worth reclaiming his position and succeeding to be King. The countless lives they lost...the men who died in his arms, the bloodshed and the tears - all of this was worth it. 

...but was it really?

"Prince Arslan, if you would allow me to be frank...I am worried about you." Daryun confessed as he approached the smaller Prince, "Narsus and I are deeply concerned. You've shut us out of your world. You used to be so open and energetic, but lately..."

Arslan gave his oldest servant a weak laugh, looking up into Daryun's dark eyes and smiling. It wasn't a full, genuine smile but one laced with pity. Daryun's look of worry only strengthened, reaching out with his large hands to grasp Arslan's shoulders and speak with conviction. 

"If there is anything we can do to help you, Prince I would be willing to sacrifice my life for-"

"Daryun, answer me honestly. If I were to disappear, would it matter?"

The taller man's mouth gaped open - lips curling to a frown as Arslan looked to the side. 

"I am tired of this...pretending to be someone I am not. Fighting to be champion of a cause I do not believe in, to be the leader of a people I am not one with." Arslan said quietly as he looked to the floor, "This world will forget me as easy as they forgot my father. To them, I did not exist, to begin with. I am not the Prince of Pars...I was an imposter chosen by someone claimed the throne through violence and bloodshed."

He knew this fact from the very beginning - but he could truly cope with the answer given to him. None of it made sense, his mother and father's cruelty to him yet he was their biological son. His usurper and the true Prince of Pars - the man who was so fixated on claiming what was rightfully his that Arslan was just an object in the war.

Daryun took a moment to process Arslan's words and the silver haired boy pulled away from his grip - reaching out to grab the twilight sky. This beautiful twilight that he was just like, a fading part of the cycle that was easily forgotten.

Arslan did not want any of this. He did not want to be forgotten. 

"I do not wish to endanger any of you with my recklessness and foolish ideology. I am sorry that you sacrificed your servitude to an imposter but I am no Prince. I am merely a boy who is confused on what he is..."

"Your lineage does not concern me and it does not concern anyone who follows you, Arslan. We follow you because we admire you. We trust you and you have proven time and time again that you are a worthy champion of the people." 

Daryun's gentle tone surprised him - but Arslan lashed out angrily. It was rare the Prince of Pars raise his tone so his yell gathered a look of shock from Daryun. Tears rolled down Arslan's face as he yelled angrily - his ocean eyes glittering and his arms in a firm fist.

"Do not spread false truths, Daryun! I am...I am the furthest thing from being a good leader! Look at me. I am not strong nor am I clever, I lack basic understanding and I am inept in every form of combat imaginable. You cannot look at me and say that I am worthy of a title that doesn't belong to me!" 

"Prince Arslan..."

"Don't call me a Prince! Just leave me alone - I'll...I just want to be left alone!" 

Daryun didn't say anything, even though a part of Arslan wished he did. A part of Arslan wished that his long-time supporter and friend said something when he was so close to breaking down in front of him. But Daryun just left him. And Arslan couldn't stop crying at that moment.

Everything was awful, nothing made sense and he felt like a part of his world was missing. 

As the wind picked up and the curtains blew in his room, Arslan's world felt emptier. He wasn't there to see Narsus, Gieve, Farangis and Daryun come chasing after him - opening the door to find him missing. For it was in the dusk of the Warrior's Return, did the Kingdom of Pars feel a chill. The twilight air carried a feeling of sombre and though it wasn't known - the world had gotten a little darker. 

It was at dusk, the Prince of Pars vanished and though his name was easily forgotten by many - there were the few who appreciated him and the dusk and mourned his absence.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to comment and hit that kudos button, if you liked it! And if you didn't leave some constructive criticism. <3 Love Dan


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